Casey Dellacqua shares her Fed Cup experiences
Former World No.3 in Doubles and Australian Tennis Legend Casey Dellacqua recently shared her Fed Cup experiences, speaking about saying that playing for your country is a different experience.
“That is what made Fed Cup so special for me,” she said. “It felt great to have your teammates on the sidelines cheering you on. Of course there was sometimes extra pressure from wanting to perform for your team and country — but it was also special to have your teammates pushing you to play as well as you could. Win or lose, you knew that they had your back. It was really nice.”
She further added, “When I look back on my career, many of my best memories are from Fed Cup. I loved representing my country. Getting to spend a week training and competing alongside my friends in a team environment made it extra special.”
Speaking about Fed Cup Traditions, she said, “One of the team traditions is a crazy hat dinner on the Friday night before a tie. All team members have to bring a unique hat to wear — and there’s been some ripper ones. It’s great to look back on our photos now and laugh about these nights.”
What does she feel about Home Court Advantage? “Crowd support is important in Fed Cup. It is a competition where you are really allowed to get behind your team, which is rare in tennis. I can remember many ties we’ve played overseas where we only had a handful of people cheering for us and you do notice it when the crowd is not on your side.”
“I’ve played in ties in the Ukraine and Czech Republic where the crowds were so loud and were playing drums after every point, which made it tough. That is why hosting this year’s final in Australia is a massive advantage. Playing at home can mean extra pressure but I think our girls, and Ash particularly who’s had great success in Australia, will embrace that.”
If the final was in France they would have a loud crowd on their side, so I think having it in Australia is definitely going to be an advantage for us.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ogIDkN
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